Is W. 43rd St KCK safe area for home buying? (Kansas City: crime, 2nd mortgage)

[Kwikwyt]

Found house I love. Street view looks okay. Realtor says not good area. Help please

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by Kwikwyt

Found house I love. Street view looks okay. Realtor says not good area. Help please

What is the exact address? It's probably an okay area. Sounds like you are looking for more modest housing and you will find that in places like KCK and Raytown in areas that are decent areas. They may not be as "safe" as Overland Park or Liberty, but they still safe working class areas.

Without specific addresses though, you may be in a sketchy area. Realtors are not really supposed to tell you what "they" think an area is like. They are supposed to show you houses and comps and let YOU decide.

I would get a new realtor if you find out the homes are in decent areas.

W 43rd in KCK (part of it) is close to some great areas of KC such as KU Med, Plaza, Westport and Westwood. It's probably not a terrible place to live.

[thriftylefty]

Sometimes you can tell a little by the school rankings, I think Rushton School is near there it might be in the middle of the pack or lower but that’s typical of KCK. I once looked at a house there. I like how accessible the entire metropolitan area is from that little corner of the city.

[luzianne]

Where on 43rd? I would listen to your realtor, unless you feel like they are just trying to push you toward a more expensive area. But I think they can be helpful in steering you away from areas you really don't want to be. A little further west, in Roeland Park or Mission or Fairway, would be "safer" than KCK.

[Kwikwyt]

Originally Posted by kcmo

What is the exact address? It's probably an okay area. Sounds like you are looking for more modest housing and you will find that in places like KCK and Raytown in areas that are decent areas. They may not be as "safe" as Overland Park or Liberty, but they still safe working class areas.

Without specific addresses though, you may be in a sketchy area. Realtors are not really supposed to tell you what "they" think an area is like. They are supposed to show you houses and comps and let YOU decide.

I would get a new realtor if you find out the homes are in decent areas.

W 43rd in KCK (part of it) is close to some great areas of KC such as KU Med, Plaza, Westport and Westwood. It's probably not a terrible place to live.

2508 W 43rd St KCK 66103 found on home finders beautiful MLS #1886747
10304 Oakland Ave KCM 64134 MLS # 1884716

I still need to sell our 2 homes here so not sure when I'll make it. Hubby is an electrician that took a transfer to GM Fairfax. He is coming in in Wednesday. 9 hour drive. So far other then the realtor, your my only friend. I don't want to invest a lot of money and need to sell houses here. No way would we take a 2nd mortgage. Any information you care to share is greatly appreciated. Do you know anything about vehicle emissions etc testing etc. I couldn't get much info off dmv website.

Thanks,
Rachel

[Kwikwyt]

2508 W 43rd St KCK 66103 found on home finders beautiful MLS #1886747
10304 Oakland Ave KCM 64134 MLS # 1884716

I still need to sell our 2 homes here so not sure when I'll make it. Hubby is an electrician that took a transfer to GM Fairfax. He is coming in in Wednesday. 9 hour drive. So far other then the realtor, your my only friend. I don't want to invest a lot of money and need to sell houses here. No way would we take a 2nd mortgage. Any information you care to share is greatly appreciated. Do you know anything about vehicle emissions etc testing etc. I couldn't get much info off dmv website.

Thanks,
Rachel

[WiseOwlSaysHoot]

I would consider that area around 43rd Ave in KCK to be safe. It is a working class/lower middle class area, but I wouldn't consider it dangerous and I don't think the crime is too bad. I think it is definitely an area that is starting to see some improvement and some gentrification (as you might be able to guess, as this house looks like an investor flip).

However, my biggest concern about that house would be living directly on 43rd, which is a somewhat busy street - and it looks like the house is pretty close to the street. That would come down to your personal tolerance/preference for living on a possibly noisy/busy street.

I would take what your realtor says with a grain of salt. There are plenty of good realtors out there, and you may have one, but there are also plenty of realtors who really try to steer clients into certain areas based on their own preferences. Many are not that familiar with varying parts of the city and are only knowledgeable about the area they focus on (which is often where they live and will try to steer people to that area).

[Kwikwyt]

Thank you so much. The only reason I'm staying with her for now is that she linked me via her website and I can see much more information on homes then on some sites. Lol And, I'm not about to pay some agencies to look at the homes.

[Kwikwyt]

2508 W 43rd St KCK 66103 found on home finders beautiful MLS #1886747
10304 Oakland Ave KCM 64134 MLS # 1884716

I still need to sell our 2 homes here so not sure when I'll make it. Hubby is an electrician that took a transfer to GM Fairfax. He is coming in in Wednesday. 9 hour drive. So far other then the realtor, your my only friend. I don't want to invest a lot of money and need to sell houses here. No way would we take a 2nd mortgage. Any information you care to share is greatly appreciated. Do you know anything about vehicle emissions etc testing etc. I couldn't get much info off dmv website.

Thanks,
Rachel

[MOKAN]

^The area the home on W 43rd is in is called Rosedale. It's a decent area on the upswing. The realtor is wrong, unless she specifically means you could find an area with better schools or something (which would be true). Rosedale is also often referred to as the KU Med area, as the University of Kansas Hospital and Medical Center anchors the area. It's close to the West 39th Street restaurant district, Westport, the Country Club Plaza, and Johnson County. If you want an urban area close to local restaurants, night life, etc., but to not be right in the middle of it all, Rosedale is great. If you want good public schools and a typical suburban area, but with options for older houses with character, I would look north of the river or "the Northland", considering your husband's job will be in the Fairfax Industrial District of Kansas City, KS. Kansas City, KS has always had a large jobs base and I think north of the river has always kind of served as a suburban area/bedroom community for that city, so I'm sure your husband would find that many of his coworkers live north of the river. I mean, there's a bridge directly over the Missouri River from the Northland to Fairfax and KCK. Places to look north of the river include Parkville, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Platte City, parts of Kansas City, MO, and even Liberty. Parkville has the neatest historic downtown with restaurants and shops, but North Kansas City, Liberty, and Platte City have neat historic downtown areas with older houses too. Gladstone also has some older houses (with front porches, etc.), but they tend to be spread out with big yards, and you just have to look through the listings to find them. Any other areas, except maybe urban Kansas City, MO and nearby northeast Johnson County (Westwood, Fairway, Prairie Village, Roeland Park, northern Overland Park, Merriam), are going to be a more difficult commute without direct highway access. Northeast JoCo is directly connected to Fairfax via Metcalf Ave, which turns into I-635, and Kansas Highway 5 east from 635 or by 7th Street Trafficway (which is what Rainbow BLVD turns into). I know you didn't ask about all this, but take it for what it's worth. Northeast Johnson County also has older housing and a lot of character, along with great public schools for an older area.